Pools self-catering cottage is in easy reach of all the attractions on this beautiful island.

Pools Self-Catering

Hoy means high island from the Old Norse Haey. A paradise for walkers, naturalists, war historians or those simply wishing to get away from it all, Hoy is the most distinctive of all the Orkney islands. Ferries leave regularly from Orkney Mainland and go to Moaness (foot passengers only) or Lyness (cars and foot passengers).

Hoy has stunning hills and sea cliffs and a large part of the island is a RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) reserve. It contains Britain’s highest vertical cliff face at St. John’s Head and nearby is the famous sea-stack, the Old Man of Hoy. It’s worth exploring Britain’s most northerly woodland at Berriedale complete with gushing burn and waterfall.

At the Lyness Naval Base you will find the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre, a fascinating museum dedicates to the dramatic history of Scapa Flow during the conflict of both world wars. Just next door to Pools is the Hackness Martello tower, used for defence in both the Napoleonic and First World Wars.

Other places of interest include the Longhope Lifeboat Museum which is home to the only vintage lifeboat in Britain that is is still slipway launched. Also worth a visit is The Cra’as Nest Museum, Hoy Heritage Centre, Betty Corrigals’s Grave and the prehistoric Dwarfie Stane.